
































HOW to ENJOY 

FOOTBALL 



Professor of Physical Education 
Ohio State University 


and 


L. W. ST. JOHN 

Professor and Head of Department of Physical Education 

Ohio State University 


-) 



Copyright 1923 by Athletic Board 
Ohio State University 
Columbus, Ohio 





The Kick-off 

©C1A771838 

DEC 24 ’23 



















.Vi 55 

CONTENTS 


I. Fundamentals. 5 

II. The Kick-off.10 

III. The Offense.17 

IV. The Defense.30 

V. The Kicking Game.36 

VI. Generalship.44 

VII. The Touchback and Safety.49 

VIII. Officials and Penalties.53 

IX. Definitions.60 


♦ 












FOREWORD 


T HE average spectator wants to know more 
about football without burdening his mind 
with too many of the technical details of the 
game. The aim of this little book is to give the average 
“fan” an insight into the basic elements of football 
as it is played today. 

Because of space limitations it has been impossible 
to cover many minor points. A conscientious effort 
has been made, however, to call attention to the more 
important phases of football with the hope of enabling 
the ardent follower of football to understand a little 
better “what makes the wheels go ’round.” 

Special acknowledgments are due to Cartoonist 
W. A. Ireland, of the Columbus Evening Dispatch , 
for the use of his cartoon, to Prof. T. E. French for 
the cover and for continually helpful suggestions, to 
F. H. Haskett, University photographer, to Grant P. 
Ward, of the Athletic Department staff, for the defini¬ 
tions, and to James E. Pollard for editing the manu¬ 
script. 

J. W. WlLCE 
L. W. St. John. 


I. FUNDAMENTALS 


T IS by no mere idle chance that football 
is the king of college sports. Nor does 
it just “happen” that it holds the in¬ 
tense interest of hundreds of thousands of 
Americans the year ’round, although the 
actual playing season lasts only a few 
brief months. 

The answer comes at once: these observations are 
true because the intercollegiate game appeals so tre¬ 
mendously to so many of man’s finer instincts and 
because there is so much of the romantic, so much 
of idealism in it. It is genuine sport for sport’s sake 
with numberless thrills thrown in for good measure. 

Its appeal is many-sided. There is no age limit 
to restrict enjoyment of this thrilling annual fall 
spectacle. During the off season wherever “fans” 
get together it takes but a moment to start the ball 
of reminiscence or speculation rolling. It is the in¬ 
evitable topic. 

College football typifies much of what is best in most 
of us. It exemplifies cooperation. It is the abiding 
place of individual courage and initiative. It has a 
great background of tradition. It has produced many 
heroes. It affords a concrete expression of the loyalty 



5 







6 


How to Enjoy Football 


of untold college generations. It is the great leveler 
of all ages and classes and conditions of men. Day- 
in and day out, the year ’round, college football prob¬ 
ably has more faithful followers than any other sport. 

In any game a thousand and one things can happen. 
No one can foretell with any degree of certainty j*ust 
what will come to pass. It is just this element of 
uncertainty which helps to produce the thrills. The 
panorama is never-ending and never the same. 

Imagine the ball snapped back by the center. The 
quarterback of the attacking team tosses the ball to 
a halfback who starts off on a wide end run. Will 
his interference function promptly? Will it take 
out the opposing end? Will it put the opposing tackle 
out of the play? Will the man with the ball make 
the most of his chances? Did the quarterback call 
the right play under the circumstances? The answer 
depends upon the conditions under which the play 
started. The situation is hardly ever the same. 

Before a play can succeed the players must master 
the technique of their individual positions. They 
must learn to work together. In any given play each 
man has a definite part. Little or nothing is left to 
chance. If any man fails to do his share, the play 
falls just that far short of being perfect in its execution. 

In order to enjoy football the spectator must also 
understand the ABC’s of the game. To understand 
team play he must know something of the basic ele- 


Fundamentals 


7 


ments of individual play. In themselves these funda¬ 
mentals are comparatively simple but they are tre¬ 
mendously important in determining the outcome of 
a football game. 

Look beneath the externals of a football game and 
consider the fundamentals. Dissect the offense and 
figure out why a team is gaining or is unable to gain. 
Usually it is a matter of superiority in the ABC’s 
which determines the victory. Conversely, weakness 
in fundamentals is usually the answer to the question 
“Why did we lose?” 

Fumbles are considered the “breaks” of the game. 
Yet handling the ball is one of the first fundamentals 
a team must master. The team most skillful in re¬ 
covering the ball “makes its own breaks.” A fumbled 
punt recovered by the kicking side gains more ground 
than 20 average offensive plays. Of what use is com¬ 
plex forward passing strategy if players cannot ac¬ 
curately pass the ball? What matters a skillful passer 
or intricate passing plays if individual players are not 
trained to catch the passes from any position? These 
things alone show the vast importance of these ABC’s. 

The fumble from scrimmage is another “break,” 
the disastrous nature of which is well worth under¬ 
standing. If one team fumbles and the other recovers, 
the latter gains not only the distance of the fumble 
back of the line of scrimmage but the potential yardage 
which possession of the ball carries with it. In a 


8 


How to Enjoy Football 


general way a “down” may be evaluated at two and 
a half yards. If a recovered fumble is worth 40 or 
50 yards, it is obvious that a good deal of energy 
would be necessary to produce the same distance at 
20 scrimmages averaging two and a half yards each. 
This is the best possible argument for those simple 
drills—following the ball and falling on or recovering 
the ball—which are so tedious in practice but so valu¬ 
able at the critical moment. 

These fundamentals include: 

Handling and catching the ball. 

Falling on or picking up a free ball. 

Running with the ball. 

Kicking the ball. 

Individual forward passing. 

Individual forward pass defense. 

Tackling. 

Charging by individual linemen. 

Legal use of hands and arms. 

Body blocking and interference. 

Every one knows what these things mean but often 
fails to realize how important they are. 

SECRET OF Good blocking by linemen or backs 
GAINS is the secret of the majority of good 

gains. Tackling is the most valuable defensive funda¬ 
mental. The lineman who charges fastest or who 


Fundamentals 


9 


“gets the jump” usually wins the advantage over 
his individual opponent. The art of kicking has 
always been one of the most important fundamentals. 
It is an axiom of football that with the exception of 
forward passing plays, a player’s value to his team 
varies inversely with his distance from the ball. 

The forward pass defense, as the game is played 
today, is absolutely fundamental. The easiest gains 
are made on forward passes. Any member of a team 
may be called upon for such defense. 

If a center fails to pass the ball steadily and accur¬ 
ately no offense can be effective. In a certain game 
in 1921 it is estimated that the center himself lost 
about 200 yards for his team by inaccurate passing. 


II. THE KICK-OFF 


A COIN is tossed at the start of the game. The 
team winning the toss gets the choice of the 
goal or the option of kicking or receiving the 
kick. Unless it is to take advantage of wind or sun 
conditions, the team winning the toss usually elects 
to kick-off. 

The kick-off is a spectacular play of tremendous 
possibilities. Its importance is not ordinarily under¬ 
stood. The only thing that limits the team which 
kicks-off is that all its players must be behind the 
ball when it is kicked. The receiving team must be 
back of a line io yards from the ball. The ideal, 
straight kick-off has as much height as possible and 
will fall close to the goal line. 

The kick-off is made from the 40-yard line of the 
kicking team. It occurs at the start of the game 
and at the start of the second half. It also occurs 
after a touchdown or after a successful goal from the 
field. If a team is more than 10 minutes late at the 
start of the game or more than two minutes late in 
reporting on the field for the second half, there is no 
kick-off. The offended team may then put the ball 
in play by scrimmage on its opponents’ 35-yard line 
or require the team which was late to put the ball 


10 


The Kick-Off 


i i 

in scrimmage on its own 15-yard line. This is the only 
25-yard penalty fixed by the rules. 

Let us call our teams the Reds and the Blues. The 
Reds have won the toss and have chosen to kick-off. 

OFFSIDE -ONSIDE When the ball is kicked all 

PRINCIPLE VITAL Red pj a y ers are required to 

be onside, or behind the ball. If they are not, they 
are said to be offside and the ball must be kicked off 
again but from a point five yards farther back. This 
offside and onside principle must be understood. The 
rules say that any “player is offside when the ball 
has last been touched by one of his own side behind 
him.” An onside player has the big advantage of 
being able to play the ball, that is to recover it legally. 
Understanding this, one may judge whether a player 
has a right to get the ball or to use his hands or arms 
in getting at the ball or the player carrying the ball. 
An onside player has many privileges. An offside 
player suffers many restrictions. The general prin¬ 
ciple has been modified in the 1923 rules to bar the 
onside kick from scrimmage. 

To get back to the kick-off: the straight kick-off 
is the usual policy. The ball may also be directed 
away from the fastest or most dangerous opposing 
runner. A good kick-off man occasionally will put 
the ball over the opponents’ goal line. When this 
occurs, the expected and normal thing is for the player 
of the opposing team nearest to the ball to recover it, 


12 


How to Enjoy Eootball 


hold it or touch it down behind the goal line until the 
referee blozvs his whistle. This is one example of a 
touchback. The ball is then put in play by the re¬ 
ceiving team at any point on its 20-yard line. Any 
player of this team, if he chose, could recover the ball 
behind his own goal line and run out with it until 
downed. Ordinarily this would be poor policy as he 
would have to run the ball beyond the 20-yard line to 
reap any advantage. 

Not infrequently the team kicking-off makes a 
touchdown from the kick-off. If the opposing team 
is slow about recovering the ball behind its own goal 
line, any man of the kicking team may recover it. 
In this case a touchdown results. This is possible 
because all players are onside on the kick-off. This 
is not always understood and each season touchdowns 
are made in this way either through lack of knowledge 
or sluggishness on the part of the defending team. 

If it chooses, our Blue team may return the kick-off- 
i. e., the player who receives the ball may kick it 
MAY RETURN back toward the Red team’s goal. 
KICK-OFF j n cage a jj Bi ue players who 

are back of the Blue kicker are onside and may recover 
the ball if they can get to it before it has been secured 
by the Reds. The kick-off return is not common 
and the surprise of it sometimes brings a touchdown. 

As indicated, all members of the team kicking off 
are eligible to get the ball on the kick-off, provided 


The Kick-Off 


13 


the ball is kicked at least 10 yards. Occasionally it 
is good policy to kick the ball high in the air between 
10 and 20 yards down the side line and attempt to 
recover it. This possibility is always present and 
should add greatly to the expectancy of the game. 
Sometimes the positions of the members of the receiv¬ 
ing team afford a good opportunity for the use of this 
short kick with excellent chance for legal recovery 
of the ball by the onside kicking team. 

Sometimes a short kick is made by kicking the 
ball straight at the opposing center, especially if he 
stands on the 50-yard line. The hope of the kicking 
team is that he will fumble the ball in his surprise and 
it will rebound and be recovered by the kicking team. 

Now and then the kick-off goes out of bounds be¬ 
fore a player of either side touches it or before it goes 
over the goal line. In such a case it is kicked off 
again. If it is kicked out of bounds a second time 
the opposing team takes the ball and puts it in play 
from scrimmage on its 40-yard line. If the ball was 
touched by a member of the receiving team before 
going out of bounds it becomes a free ball and belongs 
to the side recovering it. In like manner if a member of 
the team kicking the ball had touched it after it 
had gone 10 yards it would again become a free ball. 
LATERAL PASS A rare and spectacular play 
SPECTACULAR on kick-off is the lateral pass. 

The player who receives the kick-off upon taking it 


H 


How to Enjoy Football 


runs to the right (or left). Another member of his 
team lingers in position behind him near the opposite 
side line. The player with the ball turns and throws 
a long lateral pass to his teammate who runs down the 
field with interference. This is a dangerous play. 
The pass is limited to a lateral direction since forward 
passes may be made only from a scrimmage lineup. 

Sometimes the criss-cross is used on the kick-off. 
On this play the player receiving the ball runs to the 
right (or left.) A teammate starts to the left (or 
right), crosses immediately behind the other player, 
takes the ball as he passes, and continues on to the 
left (or right) with interference. 

The “shoestring” or “sleeper” play also is used 
occasionally on the kick-off. The player receiving 
the ball runs straight down one side line where all 
the members of his team except one line up for scrim¬ 
mage in punt formation after the ball has been downed. 
The excepted player stays back of the ball near the 
opposite side line, making himself as inconspicuous 
as possible. The ball is snapped back without signal 
and a long forward pass is thrown out to the lone 
player. Many touchdowns have been made from 
this piece of strategy. It may be used from scrimmage 
as well as on the kick-off. 

If, on a kick-off, the ball goes less than io yards 
it must be kicked over, except where a member of the 
receiving team touches it. In such a case it is a free 


The Kick-Off 


i5 


ball, one for which both teams may scramble even 
though it goes out of bounds. If a kick-off over the 
goal line is fumbled by the receiving team it becomes 
a free ball. If it is recovered by a member of the re¬ 
ceiving team a touchback results and the ball is put 
in play on the receiving team’s 20-yard line. If re¬ 
covered by the kicking team a touchdown results. 

If a kick-off touches a player of either side and 
then hits the goal post or cross bar and bounds back 
it is a free ball, ground rules excepted. If it hits the 
goal post or cross bar before touching a player it is 
a dead ball and results in a touchback. 

Not infrequently the kick-off is run back for a 
touchdown. Such runs seldom “just happen” with 
BIG RUNS SELDOM fairly well-matched teams. 

JUST HAPPEN Usually the combination of 

individual ability, preconceived kick-off receiving 
strategy and effectual blocking brings this thrilling 
result. In some instances the ball is run straight 
down the center of the field. In other cases the run 
is made along the side line. At other times a criss¬ 
cross, the lateral pass, the return kick and other plays 
previously indicated may be used. 

Various advantages are gained by placing members 
of the receiving team in different formations on the 
kick-off. Among the formations and advantages are: 

1. Concentration of the men for mass interfer¬ 
ence, as illustrated by the old flying wedge. 


How to Enjoy Football 


16 

2. Apparent spreading of the defensive force 
to cover all kicking points with the idea of sudden 
massing as the ball is received. 

3. Early blocking, thereby preventing deep 
penetration by the kicking team. 

4. Protection against short kicks. 

5. Massing interference immediately in front 
of a speedy running halfback or fullback. 

6. Short, close formation for receiving the kick¬ 
off against a heavy wind. 

7. Special provisions, such as prevention of 
error in handling the ball through the removal of 
slower men from the short kick danger zone. 

8. Special individual interference to block off 
the faster, better men of the kicking side. 

The tremendous possibilities of the kick-off are 
thus apparent to all. The usual play in which the 
kick-off is run back a moderate distance too often is 
taken for granted. Any of the possibilities just indi¬ 
cated can happen each time a kick-off occurs. The 
team that “pulls” the unexpected and gets away 
with it is usually the team that wins the game. 

We have yet to consider what the kicking team is 
going to do on the kick-off. Its first purpose, being 
onside, is to get the ball if possible. Failing that, 
it seeks to stop the receiving player of the opposing 
side in his tracks or to hold him to a minimum 
back with the ball. 


run 


III. THE OFFENSE 


T HE coach’s problem is to make the best use 
of available material. Frequently his offensive 
policy is guided by the nature of the material 
at hand. Ohio State’s championship teams of 1916 
and 1917 with four linemen averaging only 159 pounds 
naturally could not be primarily plunging, driving 
teams when they were so greatly outweighed by every 
opponent. 

With an offensive star in the backfield a running 
game naturally is emphasized. But a running game 
alone does not usually succeed and the forward pass 
is added to make the running strategy more effective. 
Some plunging also is employed to keep the opposing 
line from spreading out to stop the running and pass¬ 
ing strategy. 

Spectators occasionally wonder why this or that 
player is not used continuously in football games. 
The men in question usually are those who are good 
at running with the ball. Ordinarily, however, every 
player has some weakness. He may be weak in de¬ 
fense against the forward pass or in mental speed 
in sizing up a play on the defense and in making the 
proper move to meet the attack. He may be ad¬ 
dicted to fumbling the ball on the offense. He may be 


1 7 


18 


How to Enjoy Football 


lacking in ability or willingness to block or make 
interference for the other fellow. Some men are excel¬ 
lent end runners but are weak on other offensive plays. 

The aim of the coaches is to develop the best possible 
team. Players of different abilities and unlike dis¬ 
positions fit in most readily to different situations. 
The average player may be more valuable in a moment 
of need than an exhausted star. In the same way 
the mere presence of a remarkable player in a game 
may raise the morale of that team to the winning 
level. The psychology of football is one of its most 
fascinating features. 

Many spectators lose much of the thrill of football. 
Many of them consider plays only in the light of 
“Where is the man with the ball?” or “What is the 
man with the ball doing?” It pays to watch each man 
over a series of plays to see what he is attempting to 
do and how well he is doing it. 

The spectator who limits his attention to the player 
with the ball misses much of what the other 21 players 
are doing. If you must do it, keep an eye on the man 
with the ball but observe other players as well and 
football will have a new meaning for you. 

It is difficult for the average spectator to under¬ 
stand the game correctly unless at some time during 
HIGHER SEATS the contest he watches the de- 

ARE BEST tailed work of each player. It 

is a good plan to observe each of the players for several 


The Offense 


19 


successive downs, or in n plays in which their team 
has the ball. Details of play are best seen from the 
higher seats. There the spectator gets a better per¬ 
spective. 

The work of the individual on defense is more readily 
seen than on the offense. The good work of the line¬ 
men is more frequently overlooked. By the same 
token a backfield man is more open to praise or criti¬ 
cism because most of his play is out in the open where 
it can be seen. 

In the ordinary scrimmage lineup men who play 
similar positions on opposing teams do not play against 
each other. In the ordinary offensive formation the 
center is over the ball and the other linemen are shoul¬ 
der to shoulder. The team with the ball lines up 
in a simple formation with the center in the middle, 
guards on either side of center, tackles outside the 
guards and the ends outside the tackles. The de¬ 
fensive teams, however, disposes its men so as to 
cover more of a front. The defensive center plays 
opposite the offensive center. The defensive guard 
plays opposite a point between guard and tackle of 
the opposing team. The defending tackles “dig in” 
about a half yard outside the offensive ends and 
the defensive ends usually are about three yards 
outside of their own tackles. The diagram below 
illustrates this situation. 


20 


How to Enjoy Football 


The teams will not always line up as indicated. 
The offensive team may take any formation it chooses 
LINE-UPS so long as it has seven men on the line of 
DIFFER scrimmage at the time the ball is snapped. 
The offensive team may have io men on the line and 
one back if it cares to. Let us consider that the team 
receiving the ball has run it back to its 35-yard line. 
The opposing teams thereupon line up in scrimmage 
formation somewhat as follows: 


Halfback Fullback Halfback 
OOO 
Quarterback 
0 

End Tackle Guard Center Guard Tackle End 
OO OOO OO 


—OFFENSE 


XX X 

End Tackle Guard 

x 

Halfback 


X XX 

Center Guard Tackle 

. x 

Fullback 

x 

Halfback 

x 

Quarterback 


End 

—DEFENSE 

J 


There are many plays our offensive team may at¬ 
tempt. The strategy it actually uses will depend 
upon various conditions—the weather, the ground, 
the team’s position on the field with regard to the 
side lines and goal line, and the way the opposing 
team lines up for the defense. 

Most football teams use from 30 to 40 different 
offensive plays from various formations during a season. 
More conservative teams use fewer while others resort 




The Offense 


21 


to as many as 75. This does not mean that every 
play is used in every game. The aim is absolute 
perfection of execution on the one hand and adequate 
versatility and deception on the other. There must 
also be good execution, that is, blocking, hard running 
interference, etc. 

Plays vary in type. They may be classified accord¬ 
ing to purpose and nature as follows: 

1. Close power plays—sneaks, “short slants,” 
straight bucks, “long slants,” and cross bucks. 

2. Driving power plays—off-tackle runs or bucks. 

3. Running plays—short end runs and “cut¬ 
backs,” long end runs or “sweep plays.” 

4. Kicking plays—punts, drop kicks, place kicks. 

5. Deceptive plays—delayed bucks, split bucks, 
whirls, “hovers,” fake passes, criss-cross runs, double 
or triple passes. 

6. Forward passing plays—speed, running and 
standing, deception and diagram plays. 

7. Cycle plays which start the same but finish 
differently. 

Plays may be classified according to formation 
as follows: 

1. Close formation plays. 

2. Direct pass plays. 

3. Indirect pass plays. 

4. Running formation plays. 

5. Semi-spread formation plays. 


22 


How to Enjoy Football 


6. Spread formation plays. 

7. Kicking formation plays. 

8. Special formation plays. 

9. Shifts—line shift, backfield shift, combina¬ 
tion shift, double shift, triple shift, and wheel shift. 

10. Passing formation plays—forward and 

lateral. 

Let us examine the possibilities of offensive play. 
Restrictions on the Blue (offensive) team are that 
it may not use hands or arms, except close to the body, 
the man with the ball always excepted. He may use 
his hand and arm to stiff-arm a tackier. There must 
also be seven or more Blue players on the line of scrim¬ 
mage at the time the ball is snapped back. Only 
one offensive player, however, may be in motion 
when the ball is snapped and he towards his own 
OFFENSIVE PLAY goal line. Players on the line 
RESTRICTED G f scrimmage may be either 

linemen or backs. If linemen are back of the 
line of scrimmage they must be at least five yards 
back. Linemen are seldom used in the backfield in 
these days, although such use is still legal and a 
good one. 

In thinking of formations and plays we must always 
remember that there may be any number of preliminary 
formations before the ball is snapped back in the 
final formation. Preliminary formations are the 
early stages commonly used in shift plays and have 


The Offense 


23 


been of remarkable value in adding deception to the 
forward pass attack. Certain teams have used such 
preliminary shifts as many as four times as an aid to 
deception in the running or forward passing game. 
Many preliminary maneuvers of varying nature, de¬ 
signed to aid in deception, are seen. 

Some teams have had the entire backfield jump 
up and down in its tracks just before the ball was 
snapped. The idea of grouping the entire team about 
five yards back of the ball in a circle or a square and 
then hiking it up to the line and starting the play is 
much used. This move is primarily for signal giving 
purposes and has become fairly common. Some 
such move seems desirable with a crowd which makes 
the hearing of signals difficult. 

Many freak formations also have been used. Here 
again the basic idea is to deceive the defensive team. 
Formations with eight, nine and even 10 men on the 
line of scrimmage are used. Freak formations, how¬ 
ever, are not common in the Middle West where the 
great part of the football is sound “orthodox stuff.” 

As they are designed to be, shift plays tend to be 
confusing. A team may line up in a formation other 

SHIFT PLAYS than that from which it intends to 
CONFUSING play . In 

these formations linemen 
usually stand back of the line. Just before the ball 
is snapped they shift or change their positions, usually 
up onto the line. There may be several shifts. The 


24 


How to Enjoy Football 


ball is snapped immediately after the players arrive 
at their final position and before their opponents can 
shift and get set to meet them. If teams were not 
required to come to a full stop after a shift, each team 
would use a shift on the offense because it could not 
be stopped by a defensive team of equal strength 
which had to start from a standing position. 

When they see a lot of men running in front of 
the man with the ball, spectators often remark “Isn’t 
that wonderful interference!” But is it? Do the 
interferers block? Do they hamper the runner or 
slow him up? Would he be better off if there were 
fewer men in the interference? Unless a lineman is 
fast enough to keep out of the way of the man with 
the ball and at the same time is able to handle any 
defensive players he meets he should not., be allowed 
to do anything but blocking in the line on the offense. 

The success of any play lies largely in its execution. 
The correct placing of men in formations as well as 
individual ability determines the effectiveness of 
plays. In each play each man has definite duties to 
perform. How well they perform their assignments 
largely determines whether a gain is made. 

The formations from which plays can be made are 
beyond number. On the line three men usually are 
on either side of the center, or four may be to his left 
and two to his right, or vice versa; or five may be to 
his left and one to his right, or vice versa. Or even 


The Offense 


2; 


six may be to his left and none to his right, or vice 
versa. So-called “punt formations,” in which the 
offensive team apparently is about to punt, vary 
nearly as much as regular formations in their dis¬ 
tribution of the men in the backfield and on the line. 
The majority of plays from “punt formations” are 
not punts. They may be end runs, or short running 
forward passes, or bucks or lateral passes or other 
plays. 

The forward pass is the greatest threat and the 
most spectacular play in football. Its possibilities 
are remarkable and as yet are only touched. Under 
PASS IS GREATEST ordinary conditions five men 
THREAT IN GAME are eligible t 0 receive a for¬ 
ward pass from scrimmage. They are the players 
who are at either end of their line of scrimmage or 
who are at least a yard back of the line of scrimmage 
at the time the ball is snapped. Speed, coordination, 
agility and catching ability are needed by the 
players who are assigned to receive the pass. 
An expert passer who can pass from a standstill, 
double pass, or pass on the run is a priceless gift to a 
football team. 

The common forms of the “punt formation” are 
among the best forward passing formations. The 
short forward pass is coming more and more into 
vogue as a definite offensive weapon. The long for¬ 
ward pass is dependent upon speedy, agile receivers 


26 


How to Enjoy Football 


and a man who can accurately pass a ball for distance. 
“Brick” Muller, of California, “Red” Roberts, of 
Centre, and “Hoge” Workman, of Ohio State, are such 
passers. 

In receiving the pass, the offensive player seeks to 
outrun, to outjump or outreach his opponents. In 
the “free man idea” the aim is to get the receiver of 
the pass to a spot five yards or more away from any 
defensive player. In the delusion principle, the angle, 
curving run or pause enables the receiver to get clear 
of all opponents by several yards by the time he catches 
the ball. The fan or barrage pattern involves sending 
certain men into a certain zone as a screen, followed 
by the player who is actually to receive the ball. 

Many successful passes have been completed by hav¬ 
ing some unusual formation in which linemen other 
than the ends are made eligible to receive the forward 
pass. This is usually accomplished by having an 
end a yard back of the line of scrimmage and by having 

TACKLES MAY a backfield man take a posi- 

BE ELIGIBLE tion on t he p ne> Tackles 

are most easily made eligible to receive the pass. Be¬ 
cause of their physical characteristics they are usually 
the best linemen, other than ends, to receive the pass. 
A more unusual forward pass formation is that which 
leaves the center on the end of the line of scrimmage. 
He snaps the ball back and then runs down the field 
to receive the forward pass. 


The Offense 


27 


The position of the men at the time the ball is 
snapped back determines their eligibility to receive 
the forward pass. It makes no difference what posi¬ 
tion a player occupies immediately before the ball is 
snapped. Any player on the team may be made 
eligible to receive the pass if he is given the proper 
place in a formation. 

A forward pass caught by an eligible offensive player 
over the goal line in the end zone is a touchdown. 
If caught beyond the end zone it is only a touchback. 
A forward pass from behind the goal line which hits 
the goal post or cross bar and bounds back of the goal 
line where it is recovered by the opposing team before 
it touches the ground, results in a touchdown. Such 
a play is unlikely because a team ordinarily would 
be foolish to resort to a forward pass from behind its 
own goal line. It is possible, however. 

If a forward pass hits the ground or is touched by 
an illegal player the ball is dead. When a forward 
pass goes over the side line it is dead. 

If a forward pass goes over the end line and strikes 
the ground in the end zone, the ball is dead. If a 
forward pass strikes the opponents’ cross bar or goal 
post from the field of play, the ball is dead. 

Let us suppose that our Blue team elects to try a 
plunge through the line for its first play. Aided by 
good interference a Blue halfback plunges for three 


28 


How to Enjoy Football 


yards through the Red left guard. Seeing that the 
TRY PLUNGE play resulted in a good gain the 

AGAIN Blue quarterback decides to use 

the same play again in the same place. This time 
the halfback gains only a yard. It is now third down 
and six yards to go. The Blue quarterback calls for 
a forward pass but his pass to the left end is incom¬ 
plete. On the fourth down, as a matter of good foot¬ 
ball, he punts. The ball travels out of bounds on the 
Red 19-yard line. 

The Red team now becomes the offensive team 
and the Blues the defensive. On a buck from a shift 
formation a Red halfback makes a yard. On the 
next play, an end run, a Red back slips around the 
Blue left end for 22 yards, placing the ball on the 
Red 42-yard line. It is again first down. On the 
next play the Red halfback is thrown for a yard loss. 

A forward pass from the quarterback to an end, 
which follows, nets 18 yards. The Red fullback 
thereupon plows through the Blue right tackle for 
three yards. A Red halfback repeats in the same 
place for seven yards. The other halfback then 
plunges through center for eight more and first down. 
A criss-cross nets seven more. A pass to the right 
end is good for 11 yards, putting the ball on the Blue 
five-yard line. Another pass over the goal line is 
intercepted by the Blue quarterback, thereby result¬ 
ing in a touchback. The ball is put in play on the 


The Offense 


29 


20-yard line by the Blues. After two attempts to 
pierce the Red line net only three yards, the Blues 
punt 40 yards to the Reds whose halfback is downed 
on his own 43-yard line. 

So it goes. It is the perpetual battle between the 
offense and the defense. The tendency always has 
been to make them as nearly equal as possible. Now 
let us look at the possibilities of the defensive team. 


IV. THE DEFENSE 


M OST people are interested in football from 
the standpoint of the offense. Defense can¬ 
not mean so much to spectators and yet it is 
vastly important. The statement has been made 
that a good offense is the best defense and there is 
much in the thought. Spectators should realize 
that a team on the defense can gain ground, although 
not so clearly nor so consistently as the offensive 
team. Defensive strategy should be based on this 
principle. Defensive players should' not merely stand 
their ground but should break through and throw 
the man with the ball for a loss. 

The “rooter” should bear this in mind. The cry 
should be “Throw ’em back!” or “Fight ’em!” not 
“Hold ’em!” The plea to “Hold ’em!” is absolutely 
contrary to good football principles. Even when the 
ball is on the one-inch line with the opposition pre¬ 
paring to drive it over, the defensive team should aim 
to break through and throw the offensive team for a 
loss. It should carry the fight to the offensive team 
rather than be content to hold it without gain. 

In general there are no restrictions on the position 
members of the defensive team may take except that 
they cannot be offside. The problem of the defensive 


30 


The Defense 


3 i 


team is to use a formation that effectively meets all 
the threats of the offense. Any defensive player may 
tackle the man carrying the ball. But the latter is 
the only offensive player who may be tackled. 

Many a player is given credit due another. A 
strong tackle may support a weaker guard or end. 
Strong guards naturally help the play of tackles or 
center. A strong end may support an average tackle. 
The offense tries to find weak spots and to gain over 
them. 

Think of some of these things in watching a game. 
When a play goes for a good gain over one position, 
don’t criticize too strongly. The defensive player 
may have been “defeated” or he may have been play¬ 
ing a little out of his position to help a teammate. 
Some players are too ambitious and try to cover too 
much territory. Teams frequently assign two or 
three men to block an especially strong player. This 
is a compliment to him even though he is completely 
taken out of a play. 

One defensive player should “defeat” or take out 
of the play one offensive player. He will frequently 
hold his own on the defensive against the combined 
block of two offensive players. It is expecting a great 
deal, however, to ask one defensive player to handle 
three players sent against him. 

A player sometimes knifes through the opposing 
line and tackles the man with the ball for a loss. We 


How to Enjoy Football 


hear cheers. He tries the same thing again and a 
long gain is made through the hole he left in the 
defensive line. We hear groans or jeers. Be tolerant! 

If all players waited on the line on every play, or 

“knifed” through the opposing line on each play, 

the offense would know what plays would gain the 

GO SOFTLY ON most ground. The good lineman 

HAMMER varies his play. Occasionally he 

takes a chance and “plays a hunch.” If he wins, 

he’s a wonder. If he misjudges just once, every 

second-guesser is ready to tell him just how he 

should have done it. It’s the wav of the w r orld. Re- 

✓ 

member we all make mistakes. Be tolerant! 

If the defense had only one kind of offensive play 
to meet, such as plunging, running, punting, or forward 
passing, the problem would be comparatively simple. 
Most offensive formations have the threat of all these 
plays in varying degrees. Hence all must be guarded 
against in any defensive scheme. 

A defensive line of scrimmage is an imaginary line 
at right angles to the long axis of the football when 
it is put in play. The first defensive line is made up 
of the men who are on the actual defensive line of 
scrimmage. We speak of defensive lines of scrimmage, 
meaning the players who occupy positions along lines 
at differing distances back of and parallel to the de¬ 
fensive line of scrimmage. Any number of men from 
one to eight may be on a given defensive line. The 


The Defense 


33 


men in the second and third line of the defense ordi¬ 
narily are known as the “secondary defense.” 

A running and passing offense is usually best met 
by a two-man second line of defense. In punt defense 
the fourth line of defense ordinarily is strengthened 
by one of the halfbacks. In this case the second line 
is practically done away with when the fullback takes 

OFFENSE AFFECTS the place of this halfback 
DEFENSE PLAY on third line. In general 

if a plunge is to be met the first line of defense should 
be strongest. If a forward pass is to be defended the 
second line should be strengthened. When the center 
or an end or a tackle on the defense backs away from 
the first line of defense, we can feel pretty sure that 
the defense is expecting a forward pass. If there is 
little chance of a punt, a formation without a fourth 
line of defense may be used. 

The envelopment theory of defense has come to be 
an accepted thing. In this defense the ends charge 
straight in across the line of scrimmage far enough 
to be outside the man with the ball. The rest of the 
defensive line fills in, encircles and closes in on the 
attacking force until the play is stopped. 

Often a strong tackle makes the work of an end 
light or a strong end makes the wide defensive play 
of a tackle light. The former case is the more com¬ 
mon. Always analyze such a situation before “knock¬ 
ing” a player. 


34 


How to Enjoy Football 


The forward pass from formations which offer other 
strong threats is a very potent weapon and corre¬ 
spondingly difficult to defend. Theories as to the 
best method of meeting it vary. Among them are: 

1. To rush the passer with the first line of defense 
so that he is unable to get the ball away. This is 
especially effective in delayed forward passes but is 
not complete in itself. 

2. A man-for-man defense in which each defensive 
player is given a certain offensive man to follow when 
the play appears to be a forward pass. This is the 
same principle as that of the guard following the 
forward in basket ball. 

3. Ball defense. There are numerous examples 
in forward pass defense where a speedy, intelligent 
player in the second or third line of defense success¬ 
fully defends passes by getting to the ball before it 
reaches the arms of the man supposed to receive it. 

4. Zone defense against the pass involves the 
assigning of certain territory to certain men to guard. 
It is their duty to defend any forward passes which 
come to opposing players in their territory. 

5. Combinations of these systems are commonly 
used. 

Men who are defending against the forward pass 
may play only the ball and not the man. There is 
much violation of the theory behind this rule by 
players who claim that they play the man only in an 


The Defense 


35 


attempt to play the ball. The common theory is that 
there shall be no use of hands on an offensive player 
THEORY OFTEN eligible to receive the pass. 

VIOLATED The hands are supposed to be 

employed in the attempt to bat or catch the ball. 
The use of the body is allowed only insofar as it is 
unavoidable when the defensive player goes up in the 
air to catch the pass, or in coming down after such 
an attempt. 

The safety man is a romantic figure on the de¬ 
fensive team. Usually well back of his teammates 
he stands alone to meet all plays that get past 
the first lines of defense. Usually he is the quar¬ 
terback although he may be some other player. His 
chief responsibility is to take care of punts or long 
forward passes and to stop offensive plays that break 
through the primary lines of defense. 

Oftentimes the fate of the game rests on him. Fre¬ 
quently he stops plays that would otherwise result 
in touchdowns. Fie is the last hope of the defense. 
He is a heroic figure. 


V. THE KICKING GAME 


K ICKING generalship is a distinct science. 
Many other elements besides distance enter 
into effective kicking. Among these are con¬ 
trol as to height and direction, timeliness, and speed 
in getting the kick away. Some kicks are aimed 
away from the safety man of the opposing team or to 
one side of the field without going out of bounds. 
This gives all the distance possible without giving 
the receiver anything more than a side line to which 
to run. Punts from the side of the field are aimed 
toward the middle of the field to prevent their going 
out of bounds, thus giving the ball to the opposing 
team in the kicking team’s territory. 

If the many punts made from about mid-field and 
which go over the goal line could be kicked out of 
bounds anywhere inside the receiving team’s 20-yard 
line, many yards would be gained by the kicking 
team. Sometimes a high, short punt is used to a 
point some 10 yards in front of the goal post. The 
idea is that the catcher, being surrounded by players 
of the kicking team so close to his own danger zone, 
might attempt to make the catch and fumble the ball. 

Like the kick-off and the forward pass, the punt is 
one of the most spectacular plays in football. Every 

36 


The Kicking Game 


37 


one can see what is going on. Ordinarily the punt 
sails 30 or 40 yards beyond the line of scrimmage. 
It is caught by a member of the opposing team who 
usually runs it back. If he chooses, the player who 
catches the ball may pass it laterally to some other 
member of his own team who is a better runner. The 
danger from this play, however, is great. Since they 
do not have to stay behind the ball until it is kicked, 
the ends and tackles of the kicking team usually are 
closer to the catcher of a punt than to the receiver 
of a kick-off. 

It must be borne in mind that in case of a punt 
there is an instantaneous change on the part of the 
team kicking the ball from onside to offside. Conse¬ 
quently a player of the kicking team, racing down 
the field, is offside and cannot ordinarily recover the 
ball unless it is fumbled by a player of the receiving 
team. If the punt goes over the goal line it auto- 
MAY BECOME matically becomes a touchback 
TOUCHBACK and the b a p j s p Ut j n pl a y by the 

receiving team on its 20-yard line. If the punt is 
touched or fumbled by a member of the receiving 
team on the field of play and rolls over the goal line 
it is a free ball. If recovered by a member of the 
kicking team a touchdown results; if by a defender, 
a touchback results. 

If the punt goes out of bounds before being touched 
by a player of either side, it is put in play by the re- 


3 » 


How to Enjoy Football 


ceiving team from five to fifteen yards in from the 
point where it went out of bounds. A curving punt 
which travels out of bounds and then curves back 
onto the field of play without touching the ground 
is not considered out of bounds. 

Frequently the punt goes well beyond the line of 
scrimmage, hits the ground and bounces while mem¬ 
bers of both teams stand around without making 
any effort to get it. All members of the receiving 
team, be it remembered, are onside, and all members 
of the kicking team offside. Where a successful re¬ 
covery is uncertain as with a bounding ball, the 
receiving team often lets it roll, knowing that the 
other side cannot legally recover it. This may prove 
to be poor policy on the part of the receiving 
team as every yard the ball rolls toward its goal line 
is lost. 

Sometimes when the ball is bouncing we see a mem¬ 
ber of the kicking team push a player of the receiving 
team into it. His purpose is to put the kicking team 
onside. An approved ruling says, however, that un¬ 
less the hands of the player pushed touch the ball, 
the kicking team is not onside. 

After the punt has been made, any member of the 
kicking team may use his hands and arms to push 
opponents out of the way to get at the ball and may 
use their bodies or arms close to the body to obstruct 
opponents going down the field. 


The Kicking Game 


39 


Many times after a punt has struck the ground a 
member of the kicking team recovers it. Under the 
rules this is illegal. The only penalty, however, is 
loss of the ball to the receiving team. This policy 
is often adopted to prevent the ball bouncing back 
toward the kicking team’s goal line and to prevent 
a fast player on the receiving team from recovering 
the ball and possibly making a long run. 

If an attempted punt is blocked by the opposing 
team all members of the kicking team are put onside. 
It then becomes a free ball where speed and skill in 
recovering count. If such a ball were to bound back 
across the goal line and be recovered by the kicking 
team, a safety might result. If recovered by the 
blocking or defensive team, a touchdown might result. 

If a team about to kick was close to its own goal 
line where, as a result of a bad pass the ball rolled 
over the goal line, a safety might result. If the ball 
was recovered by a member of the kicking team who 
was downed before he could get out from behind the 
goal line, such would be the case. If recovered by the 
opposing team a touchdown would result. 

The free kick is unusual but valuable. When a 
player about to receive a punt signals for a fair catch 
FREE KICK by raising his arm above his head 
VALUABLE } ie ma y no t be tackled. This is used 

where a player thinks it is policy to protect himself 
against a fumble which may result from his being 


4 o 


How to Enjoy Football 


tackled as he makes the catch. By giving the signal, 
on the other hand, the catcher forfeits his right to 
advance with the ball after making the catch. After 
a player makes a fair catch his team may elect to 
put the ball in play from scrimmage or by a kick from 
free formation. This kick may be a punt, drop kick 
or place kick. In a free kick the opponents may not 
come nearer than io yards to the point where the 
ball was caught. 

Ordinarily a fair catch, followed by a free kick, 
is made when one team punts from close to or behind 
its own goal line and a fair catch would make possible 
the scoring of a field goal. 

In its broadest sense the kicking game means the 
use of the punt as a definite offensive and defensive 
weapon. Conservative kicking generalship generally 
involves kicking on the first down inside the kicking 
team’s 20-yard line, on second down between its 20- 

PUNTS OFFENSIVE yard and 40-yard lines, on 
OR DEFENSIVE third down between the 40- 

yard and 50-yard lines, and on fourth down only 
after passing the 50-yard line. 

Practical essentials for an offensive punting cam¬ 
paign are: 

1. Speedy, accurate passing from center to 
punter. 

2. 'A punter who can kick with speed and ac¬ 
curacy for a given spot or for distance with height. 


The Kicking Game 


4i 


He needs good judgment. He should be able to 
hold his punt until the last moment in order to give 
his line time to cover the punt as completely as possible. 

3. The punter’s backfield and line must block 
so as to give him absolute protection and ample time 
to get his kick away with safety. 

4. Ends, guards and tackles should have enough 
speed and be expert enough in using their hands to 
get to the punt as the catcher is about to receive the 
ball so as to hold every inch gained by the kick. 

5. The real punting game involves getting a 
number of players of the kicking team to the spot 
where the ball is caught to make a fierce, “fumble- 
producing” tackle as soon as the ball is caught. This 
is one basis of the kicking game—to make the 
catcher fumble so that the kicking team may recover 
the ball. 

A kicked ball from a free kick or from a kick-off 
that goes over the goal line is not automatically dead. 
If recovered and declared dead in the possession of 
the receiving team it becomes a touchback. If de¬ 
clared dead in the possession of the other team it 
becomes a touchdown. If it goes out of bounds after 
it passes the goal line and before being touched by a 
player of either side it is a free ball. If the free kick 
goes out of bounds before touching the ground it 
belongs to the receiving team at a point opposite to 
where it crosses the side line. If it touches a player 


42 


How to Enjoy Football 


of either side after it has traveled io yards and then 
rolls out of bounds, it becomes a free ball. 

The player receiving the kick may do with it any 
of the things that were done under similar conditions 
on the kick-off. In other words, he may (i) run it 
RECEIVER HAS back until downed; (2) may 

OPTION make a lateral pass to another 

member of his side behind him; (3) may kick it back 
towards the other team’s goal. In this instance mem¬ 
bers of his team who are onside may go down the field 
and recover the ball. The return kick or lateral pass 
are legal but are almost never used. 

On a free kick as soon as a player of the kicking 
team touches the ball to the ground, members of the 
opposing team may rush closer than 10 yards to re¬ 
cover it. Ordinarily the referee signals this by drop¬ 
ping his arm. The referee also blows his whistle 
signifying that the kicking team may start its play. 
If the ball touches the ground thereafter by accident 
or otherwise without immediately being kicked for¬ 
ward, the kicking team is given the ball five yards 
back for another kick. 

The player who returns a punt or kick-off by run¬ 
ning close to the side line is taking advantage of human 
nature. The defense expects him to run outside at 
any moment and so appears to hold back in its at¬ 
tempts to tackle him. Some of the most famous 
backfield men in the history of football have made a 


The Kicking Game 


43 


practice of running out of bounds when about to be 
tackled so as to save “wear and tear.” This practice 
also prevents the hardest tackling near the side line, 
since tackling out of bounds is a foul. 

A drop kick or a place kick which hits the goal 
post or cross bar and goes over counts three points. 
If the goal is not made, the ball is dead. If a ball 
touches a player of either side, then hits the cross bar 
or goal post and bounces back into the field of play, 
it is not dead. If a drop kick or place kick hits an 
opponent and then goes over the goal it scores three 
points. If such a kick hits the ground and then goes 
over the cross bar before touching an opponent or an 
onside man, it is a touchback. A punt, drop kick or 
place kick which crosses the opponents’ goal line be¬ 
fore being touched by a player of the receiving side is 
a dead ball, unless from a free kick. A kick which 
goes out of bounds before being touched by a player 
of the defensive team or an onside player of the 
offensive side is dead. 


VI. GENERALSHIP 


\ 


T HE speed with which a team lines up and 
hurls plays at a certain point determines their 
effectiveness. It is the quarterback’s business 
to study the other team’s weakness and then to attack 
it. Seeming to attack at one point and the launching 
of a real attack at another are illustrated by the de¬ 
layed buck, the split buck, the criss-cross, the reverse 
forward pass and other offensive plays. 

The forward pass has revolutionized football just 
as the use of the airplane has revolutionized modern 
warfare. The pass has reached a state where it can 
be made a definite part of a fairly sure offense, in addi¬ 
tion to the advantage of its use as a constant threat 
and as an unsettling influence on the defense. The 
best football players are those who excel at the for¬ 
ward passing game. The man who combines brains 
with the versatility and speed of the forward pass 
player and the strength of the mass player is a near 
ideal in football today. 

Consider the opportunities of the modern game. 
A series of power plays may be used to draw the de¬ 
fense close. When this has been done a pass may be 
tossed over their heads. A play may be started in 
one direction and may finish in another. A play may 


44 


Generalship 


45 


be made to look like a bucking power play with the 
defense coming close to meet it and may finish as a 
forward pass over the heads of the defense. 

Plays may be run constantly inside a given man 
in the primary defense until he crowds close along 
the line to stop them. This sets the stage for the 
vital play for which the others have been the prepara¬ 
tion. It starts directly at the same spot, the player 
charges in to meet it but the runner may veer to the 
outside for a long gain. A defensive team may know 
all the plays of an offensive team and still be defeated 
by perfect generalship or the use of the right play at 
the right time. Coaches have rightly said they would 
rather take a quarterback with a wooden leg who is 
a real field general than trust their offensive weapons 
to a player who did not quite have the mind under 
fire to use all the abilities of his team in a strategic 
manner. 

To understand offensive generalship we must have 
a terminology to describe the simplest division of the 
FIELD DIVIDED lateral zones, of the playing 

INTO ZONES field. Starting at the goal line, 

each 20-yard zone is named as follows: 

1. Danger zone—goal line to 20-yard line. 

2. Defensive zone—twenty-yard line to 40- 
yard line. 

3. Mid-zone—Forty-yard line to opponents’ 40- 
yard line. 



46 


How to Enjoy Football 


4. True offensive zone—Forty-yard line to 20- 
yard line. 

5. Scoring zone—Twenty-yard line to opponents' 
goal line. 

This terminology is not absolutely accurate as some 
teams might consider all territory beyond the 50- 
yard line as the offensive zone. 

Special zones: 

1. Defensive kicking zone—goal line through 
opponents’ 40-yard line. 

2. Long forward passing zone—own 40-yard 
line to opponents’ 20-yard line. 

3. Short forward passing and running zone— 
opponents’ 40-yard line to goal line. 

In the danger zone a team will punt on the first, 
second or third down, using fake “punt formation” 
generalship on the first or first two downs, especially 
to get wind advantage. 

In the defensive zone a team will kick at times on 
the first down, but usually will kick on the second 
or third and rarely on the fourth down. Ordinarily 
a team will not make a forward pass inside its own 
40-yard line. 

In the mid-zone an offense which has been careful 
and conservative will begin to speed up as the true 
offensive zone is reached. In the true offensive zone 
a team may use its best offensive plays for the first 
three downs. On the fourth down in the offensive 


Generalship 


47 


U 


zone an offensive team will resort to the place or drop 
kick. Or it will try a short, high punt which will not 
cross the goal line and will play for a fumble. If 
out of range of the goal post on the fourth down an 
offensive team will try to buck or run to the side line 
so as to leave the defensive team a bad “set-up” when 
it takes the ball. Or, the offensive team will rush 
the ball on the fourth down. When a quarterback 
is in doubt what to do he will punt. 

With a powerful team the driving or running game 
is good generalship. The opponents’ defense is the 
outstanding guide for a choice of play in any part of 
the field. Generalship is the employment of strategy 
STRATEGY IS or the battle of wits on the field of 
ACID TEST play. It is the greatest oppor¬ 

tunity for mentality, the chief end, the real measure 
of enjoyment of football. It is the final test by which 
opposing teams must stand or fall. That team wins, 
given fair equality of strength, which is able to deliver 
the right blow at the right time, to pull the unexpected, 
to surprise its opponents. 

The student of the game or the average “fan” takes 
pleasure in a well executed bit of individual play—a 
fine punt, a hard, sure tackle, or a spectacular run. 
But the chief measure of enjoyment must be reserved 
for the anticipation of what the quarterback will do 
next. There is scarcely a position on the field that 
does not admit of a choice of plays or several choices. 


4 8 


How to Enjoy Football 


On this employment of strategy depends the outcome 
of the game. 

Strategy starts with the kick-off. It may be a 
short kick designed for a recovery. It may be to a 
weak man in one corner, or over the goal line. It 
may be driven low and hard at the center and played 
for a rebound or fumble. It is the unexpected, the 
unusual, the surprise attack that usually wins. But 
this surprise attack must be sound football, based on 
good execution. 

One play at a time does not suffice for the good 
football general. He figures what has gone before 
and what is to come after. He apparently wastes 
a play or two. But the result is in making good in 
a surprising manner on the third or fourth play. 


VII. THE TOUCHBACK AND SAFETY 


T HE average spectator is puzzled over the dis¬ 
tinction between the touchback and the safety. 
He sees the ball travel over the goal line. He 
holds his breath. Is it a touchback, a safety or a 
touchdown? If he will remember the simple rule 
that the force that moves the ball is the determining 
factor between the touchback and the safety he will 
have no trouble distinguishing between them. 

In the touchback the force which sends the ball on, 
above or across the goal line must be given by an 
opponent , that is by the team playing to cross that 
particular goal line. The touchback scores no points 
and after it occurs the ball is put in play on the 20- 
yard line. In the safety the impetus which causes 
the ball to travel to a position on, above or across 
the goal line must be given by the defending team , that 
is, by the team whose goal line is concerned. The 
safety scores two points for the attacking team and 
after it occurs the ball is put in play on the 30-yard 
line. In both safety and touchback the ball must be 
declared dead in the possession of the side defending 
the goal. If the ball is declared dead in the possession 
of the attacking team over the goal line it is usually 
a touchdown. 


49 


5o 


How to Enjoy Football 


The most common touchback is where a punt crosses 
the goal line before being touched by a player of either 
team. It should be recovered by a member of the 
defending team as a matter of good policy even though 
it is unnecessary under the rules. A ball kicked by 
the offensive team which hits the goal post or cross 
bar and bounces back onto the held of play is a touch- 
back. If, however, the ball is touched by a defensive 
player or an onside offensive player before it crosses 
the goal line or hits the goal post it is a free ball. The 
forward pass also is the source of many touchbacks. 
If the ball is forward passed from the field of play 
across the goal line or hits the goal posts or cross bar 
it becomes a touchback. If it hits an ineligible man 
of the offensive team, it is a touchback. If the for¬ 
ward pass crosses the end line (io yards back of the 
goal line) or the side line extended before it touches 
the ground it becomes a touchback. If the pass 
crosses the goal line and an ineligible player of the 
attacking team interferes with a defending player 
as the latter attempts to get the ball, a touchback 
results even if the pass is successfully received by an 
eligible offensive player. 

If a forward pass, attempted from behind the goal 
line, hits the ground behind the goal line, a safety 
HOW SAFETY results. If a forward pass from 

RESULTS back of the goal line strikes the 

goal posts, bounces back of the goal posts and hits 


5i 


The Touchback and Safety 

the ground, a safety results. If such a forward pass 
is recovered before it hits the ground by an eligible 
player of the team behind the goal line, he may run 
with it and try to get beyond the goal line. If an 
eligible player receives a pass behind the goal line 
and is downed back of the goal line, a safety results. 

If the center makes a low pass across the goal line 
and the ball rolls along the ground and any member 
of the team behind the goal line bats or kicks the ball 
toward the other goal, a safety results. Kicking a 
loose ball or batting the ball toward the opposite 
goal line are fouls, the penalty for which is the loss 
of the ball at the point where the foul occurred. If 
the ball, for example, is kicked or batted three yards 
back of the goal line, the opposing team theoretically 
would be given possession of the ball at that point. 
The rules provide, however, for a safety rather than 
a touchdown in this case. 

A ball passed by the center from the field of play 
back across the goal line goes to the side first recover¬ 
ing it. It becomes a touchdown if captured by the 
defending team and a safety if by the offensive team 
where the man who recovers the ball is downed back 
of the goal line. If the center passes the ball back 
for a punt and the pass is bad or the kicker fumbles 
the ball which rolls over the goal line and it is recov¬ 
ered by the kicker or another of his side who is 
downed there, a safety results. 


52 


How to Enjoy Football 


If the ball is passed back from the center to a back- 
field man who tries to buck it out from behind his 
MANY OTHER own goal line but is tackled just 

CASES before he gets to the goal line, a 

safety results. If the ball is passed back from the 
center to the kicker who kicks the ball forward so 
that it hits a player of his own team who is back of 
the goal line where it is recovered by that team and 
the ball is declared dead, a safety results. 

If the ball is passed back to the kicker and is punted 
forward but is blocked by the other side and bounces 
back over the goal line, a safety results if recovered 
by a member of the kicking team. If recovered by 
an opponent it becomes a touchdown. The touch¬ 
down phase of this play w r as well illustrated in the 
Michigan-Ohio State games of 1919 and 1920 in which 
Huffman of Ohio State twice recovered blocked kicks 
for touchdowns. 

If the ball kicked from behind the goal post hits 
the goal post or cross bar and is recovered by a player 
of the kicking team, a safety results. If recovered 
by a member of receiving team a touchdown results. 
If, from behind his own goal line, the kicker punts 
the ball out of bounds before it crosses the goal line, 
a safety also results. Most safeties result from blocked 
kicks on or near the goal line. A kick thus blocked 
and covered back of the goal line is either a safety or 
a touchdown depending upon who recovers the ball. 


VIII. OFFICIALS AND PENALTIES 


T HE referee is in full charge of the game. The 
umpire, field judge and head linesman, in a 
sense, assist the referee. Each has special 
duties and may call fouls. Generally speaking the 
referee has charge of the game and makes decisions 
regarding possession of the ball and its progress. The 
umpire has charge of the conduct of the players and his 
chief function is to call fouls, particularly personal 
fouls in the line. The field judge keeps time and 
assists the referee, particularly in decisions on 
forward passes and punts. The head linesman 
marks the distance gained or lost and calls offside 
penalties. 

Many times the spectators criticize the referee 
when another official has made the decision. Think¬ 
ing people will reserve criticism of officials who are 
chosen as being the best available men for their posi¬ 
tions. Spectators should remember that talking to 
officials by others than the team captain is considered 
unsportsmanlike conduct and may draw a penalty. 
Captains may question officials and confer with them 
if they feel that an official is mistaken in a ruling, 
but criticism or insinuating remarks are distinctly 
unsportsmanlike. 


53 


54 


How to Enjoy Football 


Occasionally we see the referee take the ball and 
place it back of the spot to which it has been carried. 
Sometimes he moves it forward. He does this be¬ 
cause the ball is dead at the point where its forward 
progress is stopped. The runner may have pushed 
the ball forward or advanced with it after the referee 
has blown his whistle and the referee is simply placing 
the ball back to the point where it was dead. A 
player may have been thrown back by a tackier but 
the ball is dead at the point farthest forward. In 
this case the referee places the up to that point. 

Spectators wonder why one team is penalized 15 
yards and the other team only five yards for holding. 
Is the team at fault on the offense or defense? When 
any player on the offensive team uses his arms in 
holding an opponent or in pushing him out of the 
way, the regular 15-yard penalty is given. When 
a defensive player tackles or holds an offensive player 
other than the man with the ball, it is defensive hold¬ 
ing and the five-yard penalty is exacted. This is rare, 
however. 


During each two periods each captain may take 
time out not to exceed three times for two minutes. 
WHY THE GAME For each request for more 
SEEMS LONG than three periods of time out 

a penalty of two yards is inflicted. The referee, how¬ 
ever, may call time out at his discretion and without 
penalty to either side. Between the first and second 


Officials and Penalties 


5 5 

quarters, and the third and fourth quarters there is 
a one-minute intermission while the teams change 
goals. Between the second and third periods there 
is a 15-minute intermission. 

There are many times during a game when time out 
is taken automatically. This makes the game seem 
longer to those who are ahead and shorter to those 
who are behind. Time out is taken automatically: 
while a penalty is being inflicted; on any incompleted 
forward pass; after a touchdown, field goal, drop 
kick or place kick; after a safety and after a touch- 
back. Time out also is taken while the play after 
touchdown is being made. Time stops when the 
referee blows his whistle to signify any of these things 
and does not start again until the ball is actually in 
play. Time out also is taken when the ball goes out 
of bounds or over the side line until it is snapped back 
or kicked off in the field of play. The ball is dead 
while all penalties are being enforced. Noting these 
facts regarding time out will enable you to understand 
why it takes from 25 minutes to half an hour to play 
the average 15-minute quarter. 

The best way to understand penalties is to get out 
a rule book and study them. The most common 

STUDY PENALTIES penalties are the five- 

IN RULE BOOK yard penalty for offside 

and the 15-yard penalty for holding. Other penalties, 
however, are for two, five, 10, 25 yards, half the 


How to Enjoy Football 


56 

distance to the goal line, loss of down, loss of the 
ball—and the more serious penalties such as sus¬ 
pension from the game and forfeiture of the game. 
Most penalties result from illegal use of arms, offside 
play or unnecessary roughness. 

PRINCIPAL PENALTIES 

2 yards—Time out four or more times in one half. 

5 yards—For offside play. 

Holding by defensive side. 

Interference with opponents before the ball is put in 
play. Running into kicker. 

10 yards—Where the forward passer intentionally throws the ball 
to the ground when about to be tackled for a loss. If 
this is done on the fourth down it also involves the loss 
of the ball. 

15 yards—Holding or illegal use of the arms. 

Roughing a player after he has kicked the ball. 

Interfering with fair catcher or throwing him after the catch. 
Any unnecessary roughness such as use of elbows, trip¬ 
ping, tackling a man out of bounds or “piling on.” 
Assisting a man out of bounds by pushing or pulling him. 
Man with ball hurdling, jumping feet first over an op¬ 
ponent who is still on his feet. 

Unsportsmanlike conduct. 

Side line coaching. 

Substitute communicating with a player of his own side 
before the ball is put in play. 

Interference with defense by offensive man under a for¬ 
ward pass. 

25 yards—Team failing to report for play two minutes after time 
set for start of second half, and ten minutes after time 
set for start of game. 


Officials and Penalties 


57 


Half Distance to Goal Line—Player once in game returning during 
same half. 

Extreme roughness such as kneeing, kicking or striking, 
a rare penalty involving disqualification as well as distance. 
Any foul committed within one-yard line is penalized by 
half the distance to goal line. 

Loss of Down—Offensive center passes the ball out of bounds and 
his own side recovers it. 

On any incompleted pass before the fourth down or one 
in which the passer is not five yards back of line of scrim¬ 
mage. 

Where a forward pass is touched by one eligible man, 
then by another eligible man. Only the eligible man 
of the offensive side who first touched the forward pass 
may legally recover it unless in the meantime it is touched 
by the other side. 

A forward pass which goes out of bounds or hits the goal 
posts before the fourth down. 

Loss of Ball—Interference by defensive man, for example, a defen¬ 
sive halfback with and offensive end trying to receive a 
forward pass. The ball foes to the passing side at the 
point of the foul. 

Use of arms or roughness by players of the receiving side 
on a punt. The ball goes to the kicking side at the point 
of the foul. 

Kicking the ball, hitting or batting the ball towards 
the opponents’ goal line except on a forward pass. 

The ball is lost "when the team is “held for downs.” 

When a forward pass is incomplete or illegal on the fourth 
down. 

Wilfully throwing a forward pass to the ground on fourth 
dowm. 

W T hen a forward pass is touched by an ineligible man. 
Forfeiture of the game may result in case a team refuses to 
abide by the referee’s decision. 



How to Enjoy Football 



Spectators should appreciate the fact that penalties 
are enforced from different spots. Most fouls com¬ 
mitted by one player against another are enforced 
from the place where the foul was made. Most of 
the 15-yard penalties are so enforced. Many other 
penalties are enforced from the spot where the ball 
was put in play on the previous down. Fouls com¬ 
mitted when the ball is not in possession of either 
side, as while a punt is in the air, or where there is a 
free ball, are enforced from the spot of the foul. 

The distance enforcement of a penalty cannot 
result in a touchdown. For example a 15-yard penalty 
inflicted from the one-yard line cannot carry the ball 
14 yards over the goal line. In such cases the ball is 
put in play half a yard from the goal line. If made 
more than a yard from the goal line the ball is placed 
in play on the one-yard line. Enforcement of a foul 
on the offensive team leaves the down and the point 
to be gained the same. 

Penalties for fouls may be declined by the team 
against which they are made. If a team starts a play 
which gains 15 yards and the other team was offside 
with a penalty of five yards, the offensive team natural¬ 
ly w’ould decline the penalty and take the gain. 

The umpire calls most, fouls. He blows his horn 
when a foul is committed. This signal does not make 
the ball dead and play may continue until the referee 
blows his whistle which calls the ball dead. Some- 


Officials and Penalties 


59 


times the umpire blows his horn and the defensive 
side stops play but the player with the ball keeps on 
running and scores a touchdown. This happens 
where a foul is called on the defensive team. The 
offensive team simply declines the penalty and takes 
the gain. 



Courtesy of Ireland 

THE FOOTBALL FAN—YOU ALL KNOW HIM 































IX. DEFINITIONS 


F OOTBALL definitions, like others, are not 
always entirely adequate yet they help to 
throw light on the general subject. Those 
given here are designed to assist the spectator in 
understanding the game and in using a correct football 
vocabulary. 

Blocking—Interposing the body between the 
opponent and the ball or the man with the ball. All 
interference is some form of blocking and a team is 
said to have good interference when this blocking 
is executed with precision and power, or poor inter¬ 
ference when it fails to hit the man or to block with 
sufficient force. 

(a) Hard shoulder blocking—used by a guard or 
tackle in opening a hole in a close line for a successful 
line buck. 

(b) Long cross blocking—as illustrated by an 
end preventing the opposing tackle from getting far 
enough into offensive territory to break up inter¬ 
ference or stop an end run. 

(c) Check blocking—as when the left tackle 
momentarily checks the opposing guard or tackle 
with his shoulder before the left tackle goes down 
under a punt. 

(d) Roll blocking—as in hurling one’s body 
parallel to the ground at an opponent’s knees, cutting 
his legs from under him. 


60 


Definitions 


6i 


(e) Combination blocking—where two or more 
men combine on one opponent to open a hole in the 
line or to smother an end. 

(f) Leg blocking—interposing the thigh between 
an opponent and the man with the ball. A strong 
lineman may block one opponent with his head and 
shoulders and block another temporarily with his leg. 

Line Bucks—applied generally to power plays 
that drive the ball through the opposing line, meaning 
that territory covered by the tackles, guards and 
center. Such bucks have a variety of forms and 
are spoken of as: 

(a) Straight buck and short slant—in which a 
player drives practically straight ahead at right angles 
to the line of scrimmage or at an angle from a point 
about four yards back of the line. 

(b) Long slant and cross buck—in which a half¬ 
back, for example, at the left of the center, drives 
diagonally across to the right of the center, taking 
the ball through an opening made by his own right 
guard and tackle. 

(c) Split buck—a deception play in which, for 
example, the left half fakes taking the ball on a cross 
buck to the right, but as soon as the half has passed 
in front of the fullback, the latter drives straight 
ahead on a straight buck. This is an opportunity 
for clever, deceptive handling of the ball by the quarter¬ 
back. 

(d) Delayed buck—in which the fullback drives 
hard into the right side of the line, the quarterback 
faking a pass to him, then turning to feed the ball 
to the left halfback who has delayed his start and 
who now drives straight over the center or to the left. 


6i 


How to Enjoy Football 


(e) Sneak—in which a player close behind the center 
takes the ball directly from the center’s hand and 
driving straight through behind powerful blocking, 
or hesitating momentarily, picks a quick opening to 
slip through the opposing line. 

Methods of Line Attack—all of the above bucks 
are accomplished by one of two methods known as 
quick opening and wedge. 

(a) Quick opening—under this system the line¬ 
men are arranged as far as possible so that two of the 
offensive linemen can attack one of the defense, thereby 
enabling the man with the ball to dart into the open¬ 
ing thus made for a short gain. Sometimes he is 
preceded by another member of his backfield. 

(b) Wedge—by this method several offensive 
linemen charge shoulder to shoulder as a tight line, 
forcing one of its men forward as the apex of the wedge, 
the others following on the sides of the wedge, push¬ 
ing the apex forward, thus forcing the defense to run 
around them. The man with the ball does not run 
immediately toward an opening but rather at one of 
his own linemen and gets into the shelter of the wedge 
for protection against the defensive players. Under 
some conditions four or five linemen merely charge 
straight ahead, trying to clear everything in their 
path by keeping shoulder to shoulder. 

End Runs—speed plays directed to the end or 
wing positions. 

(a) Short end run—in which the backs start 
toward the side and cut quickly down the side, pass¬ 
ing between the opposing end and tackle or just out¬ 
side the end who has been blocked to the inside. 

(c) Criss-cross or double pass end run—in which 
part of the backfield starts to one side with the ball 


Definitions 


63 


as on an end run to the right, while the ball is passed 
to the right end or right halfback who goes around 
the left wing. 

Tactics Used by Runners—men who are skillful 
in advancing the ball in addition to speed and power of 
running develop such technical abilities as: 

(a) Straight arming—the vigorous warding off 
of a tackier by placing the free hand on his head or 
shoulder, straightening the arm at the moment of 
contact, thus preventing the would-be tackier from 
effectively encircling the runner’s legs with his arms. 

(b) Side stepping—a form of dodging usually 
made most effective in connection with straight-arming 
or stiff-arming when the runner tries to throw his 
legs away from the tackier while keeping his balance. 

(c) Dodging—deceptive movements of the body, 
as in running straight at a tackier, then swerving 
sharply to one side after having drawn the tackier 
off balance. 

(d) Change of pace—sudden bursts of speed for 
short distances by lengthening or quickening the stride. 

(e) Pivoting—in which the runner pivots one 
leg away from the would-be tackier, throwing the leg 
next the tackier back and around in the opposite 
direction. When he completes the turn he is over¬ 
balanced which forces him to plunge forward and 
away from the grasp of his opponent. 

Hole—an opening or interval between two de¬ 
fensive players. Usually applied to the quick open¬ 
ing made through which the man with the ball at¬ 
tempts to dash. 

Plays and Formations—all attempts by a team 
to gain ground are made from what are called forma- 


6 4 


How to Enjoy Football 


tions. Each individual attempt is a play. Forma¬ 
tions are the grouping of players so as to enable the 
offensive team to concentrate its force at given points. 
They may be grouped as follows: 

(a) Close formation—this may be a balanced 
line and balanced backfield, i. e., with an even number 
of men on each side of the center in both line and 
backfield. In an unbalanced line and backfield more 
men are on one side of the center than on the other. 
In a close formation the line plays shoulder to shoulder 
and the backfield men, grouped together, are within 
five yards of the line of scrimmage. 

(b) Open formations—usually divided into two 
classes, the spread and semi-spread. In a spread 
formation the line and backfield are spread out over 
the field so as to facilitate running and forward passing 
plays. In a semi-spread, part of the line is close 
together and the remainder spread out. The same 
may be true of the backfield. This sort of formation 
offers the running and passing attack as well as the 
line bucking and kicking attack. 

(c) Punt formation—where the ends usually are 
from four to 15 yards from the tackles while the other 
five linemen are close together. One man in the 
backfield is from eight to 12 yards back and the other 
three are grouped to protect him. This formation 
also enables a team to run, forward pass or buck. 
Some teams punt from open formations. It is also 
possible to execute a quick kick from close formation 
although it is seldom done. 

(d) Shift formation—some teams line up for a 
play with their men distributed in some form of the 
above formations. Others line up and by a series 


Definitions 


65 


of shifts, whereby the men change their positions, 
arrive at one of the above formations and get the play 
away before their opponents can get firmly set to 
meet it. 

Plays—from a given formation any number of 
plays may be used. They may be classified as follows: 

(a) Straight plays—usually line bucks, in which 
the ball carrier runs straight for a given opening in 
the line. 

(b) Angle plays—where the ball carrier starts 
as on an end run or long slant and cuts sharply in or 
out. 

(c) Power plays—really a type of the straight 
play in which the maximum force is centered at a given 
point in the line. 

(d) Mass play—all mass plays are power plays 
but the contrary is not necessarily true. In the mass 
play all the interference is hurled at a given point 
and the attempt is made to crush the defense by 
sheer force. 

(e) Whirl play—where the man who receives 
the ball from the center, whirls completely around 
and suddenly drives into the line. 

(f) Deception play—delayed bucks, split bucks 
and trick plays in which the object is to make the 
opponents believe you are going to attack at one point, 
but you aim at another. 

(g) Cycle plays—formations in which several 
plays apparently start exactly alike but really develop 
into different forms of attack. 

(h) Fake plays—practically the same as decep¬ 
tion plays with the exception of the fake punt, which 
in reality is a misnomer. 


66 


How to Enjoy Football 


(i) Off tackle plays—directed outside of either 
defensive tackle. 

(j) Inside tackle plays—directed inside of either 
defensive tackle. 

(k) Field goal—a place or drop kick made from 
the field of play during a regular scrimmage. 

( l ) Play following touchdown—after a touch¬ 
down a team may line up for scrimmage on the five- 
yard line or beyond. The play may be a place kick, 
drop kick or any regular play by which it is able to 
carry the ball across the goal line. 

Forward Pass—technically, any ball passed for¬ 
ward or toward the opponents’ goal, whether thrown 
or not. 

(a) Screen forward pass—in which the linemen 
are sent down the field as a potential protective shield 
behind which an end of halfback darts to receive the 
pass. 

(b) Criss-cross forward pass—starts the same as 
a criss-cross run in which the second man to recei ve 
the ball passes it forward to a teammate. 

(c) Triple pass—in which three men handle the 
ball. They may pass to each other as in the criss¬ 
cross pass or they may be stationed behind each other 
so that the ball is successively passed backward. 
Such plays are uncommon. 

(d) Forward pass protectors—the men who by 
blocking prevent opponents from interfering with the 
man about to make the pass. 

(e) Forward pass safety—after the pass is made, 
certain members of the team are delegated to protect 
the territory and prevent a runback in case the pass 
is intercepted. 


Definitions 


67 


Types of Passes: 

(a) Spiral pass—in which the ball is sent through 
the air with a whirling motion. 

(b) End-over-end pass—in which the ball rotates 
from end to end. This is seldom used. 

(c) Grip pass—in which the ball is gripped and 
thrown somewhat like a baseball with either the thumb 
or the fingers on the lacing. 

(d) Non-grip pass—in which the ball rests lightly 
on the palm of the hand and is given a whirling motion 
as it is thrown. 

(e) Incomplete pass—which complies with all 
the legal restrictions but touches the ground either 
before or after being touched by the receiver. 

(f) Intercepted pass—one recovered by the op¬ 
posing team before it touches the ground. 

(g) Illegal pass—one in which some of the legal 
restrictions have not been compiled with, as where 
the passer was not five yards back of the line of scrim¬ 
mage or the ball was received by an ineligible man. 

Kicked Balls— 

(a) Punt—where the ball is kicked before it 
touches the ground. 

(b) Drop kick—where the ball is dropped to the 
ground and is kicked the instant it rebounds. 

(c) Place kick—where the ball is held on the 
ground by one player and kicked by a teammate. 

(d) Two-wave punt—this refers to the manner 
in which the members of the team which punts go 
down the field. Those who start when the ball is 
passed constitute the first wave. Those who go after 
the ball is kicked are the second wave. 

(e) Roughing the kicker—men trying to block 
a kicked ball may not run into or to rough the kicker. 


68 


How to Enjoy Football 


(f) Running back a kick—where the defensive 
man who catches a kicked ball attempts to carry it 
back toward the opponents’ goal line as far as possible. 

Kick-off tee—a small mound of earth upon which 
the ball is placed just prior to the kick-off. This 
enables the kicker to get more height and distance 
into his kick. 

Illegal Formation—if the team putting the ball 
into play does not have at least seven men on the line 
of scrimmage the formation is illegal. If any of the 
tackles, guards or center are not on the line of scrim¬ 
mage and are less than five yards back of that line, 
the formation is illegal and a five-yard penalty is in¬ 
flicted. 

Scrimmage Line—this applies to the men lined 
up on either side of the ball when it is put into play. 

Line Up—the men who make up the positions 
on a team. The center is sometimes referred to as 
the snapper-back or pivot man. Ends occasionally 
are called wing men or “flankers.” All seven men 
on the line of scrimmage are sometimes called for¬ 
wards or are referred to as the forward wall. 

Flying or Diving Tackle—applied to a player 
who leaves his feet and throws his body through the 
air to tackle an opponent with the ball. It is for¬ 
bidden under the rules. 

Feeding the Ball—where the quarterback receives 
the ball direct from the hands of the center and hands 
or tosses it to another member of his team. 

Shock Absorbers—a term applied to backfield 
men who have little ability to carry the ball them¬ 
selves but w r ho are able to clear opponents from the 
path of the man with the ball. 


Definitions 


69 


Open Field Runner—a ball carrier who has dodg¬ 
ing,. side-stepping or pivoting ability and is able ef¬ 
fectively to use the stiff-arm. 

Hard Running Back—a halfback or fullback 
lacking the qualities of the open field runner but who 
is able to shake off tacklers by sheer strength of his 
body and leg drive. 

Plunging or Driving Back—a backfield man who 
has unusual ability to smash through a line. 

Diving the Line—a term applied to a back, who, 
when called upon for a line smash, finds no opening 
through which he can slip, whereupon he dives head 
first over the mass of players for a few additional 
yards. 

Hurdling—applies only to the man carrying the 
ball who tries to jump feet first over an opponent 
who is still on his feet. Merely stepping over a pros¬ 
trate player is not hurdling. 

Triple Threat Man—a ball carrier who is a good 
open field runner, a forward passer and a punter. 

Quadruple Threat Man—one who in addition to 
the above qualities can drop or place kick. 

Five Threat Man—one who has the above four 
threats and plunging ability in addition. 

Signals—a series of numbers usually called by 
the quarterback and indicating the play to be used. 
Some teams also have defensive signals. 

Bucking or Plunging—applies to plays directed 
straight at the opposing line. 

Charging—applies to offensive as well as defensive 
teams. A defensive line is coached to charge its 
opponents as the ball is snapped back. The offensive 
side charges when a charging signal is given or when 
the ball is snapped. 


70 


How to Enjoy Football 


Side Line Coaching—it is contrary to the rules 
for any one on the side lines, particularly the coach, 
to give any direct instructions through talking, special 
signs or special positions to a team while it is on the 
field. 

Delaying The Game—when a team is ahead it 
frequently tries to retain its advantage by killing 
time. It usually calls its signals two or three times. 
This calls for a five-yard penalty at the discretion 
of the referee. 

Illegal Interference—where offensive players, other 
than the ball carrier use their hands or arms except 
close to their bodies or attempt to block opponents 
by throwing their feet high in the air. Pulling and 
pushing the man with the ball also are illegal. 

Stance—refers to the correct position of the line¬ 
man or backfield man from which he can work most 
easily and naturally to the best advantage. It in¬ 
cludes the position of the body, feet and hands. 

Cutback—the course of the man with the ball 
making a run who suddenly changes his direction 
and “cuts back” instead of continuing in the direction 
in which he started. If this happened in the open 
field and the runner continued in the changed direc¬ 
tion it would be called “reversing the field.” 

Dead Ball—a ball not in play. 

End Zones—the territory between the goal line 
and another line io yards back of the goal line. 

True Scoring Zone—the territory between the 
goal line and the 20-yard line in which the offensive 
team uses its best plays to score. 

Foul—any violation of the rules. 

Kneeing—ramming an opponent with the knees, 
intentionally or otherwise. For this a man may be 


Definitions 


7 1 


put out of the game as it is unnecessarily rough play. 
It is an infrequent occurence. 

Neutral Zone—when the teams are lined up for 
scrimmage, the length of the ball separates the two 
teams. The territory covered by a strip across the 
field corresponding to the width of the ball is the 
neutral zone upon which neither team may encroach 
until play starts. 

Piling On—if, after the ball is declared dead, 
opponents throw themselves upon a ball carrier who 
has been downed it is considered unnecessary rough¬ 
ness and a penalty for piling is inflicted. 

Tripping—the obstruction of an opponent below 
the knee by that part of the leg below the knee. 

Clipping—consists in throwing oneself against 
an opponent’s legs below the knees and from behind 
in an attempt to knock him down and keep him out of 
the play. Such a practice is illegal and calls for a 
15-yard penalty from the spot of the foul or from the 
spot where the ball was put in play, at the option of 
the offended side. 


INDEX 


Attack.62 

Ball-Loss of. 57 

Blocking.8, 60, 61 

Bucking.69 

Bucks. 61, 62 

Center.9 

Change of Pace.63 

Charging.69 

Clipping. 71 

Criss-cross.14, 62 

Criticisms.53 

Cutback....70 

Dead Ball.70 

Defense.19, 30-35 

Delaying the Game.70 

Diving.69 

Dodging.63 

Down-loss of.57 

Drop Kick.43, 67 

End Runs.62, 63 

Envelopment.33 

Fair Catch..39, 40 

Feeding the Ball.68 

Field Goal.66 

Field Judge.53 

Five Threat Man.69 

Flying Tackle.68 

Formations 

Illegal. 68 

Kick-Off.15, 16, 63, 64 

Preliminary.21-24 

“Punt”.25, 64 

Foul.70 

Fumble. 7 

Fundamentals.5-9 

Forfeiture of Game.57 

Forward Pass. .9, 25-27, 33, 44, 50, 56, 
57, 66, 67 

Criss-Cross. 66 

Defense.34, 35 

Eligibility.26, 27, 51, 57 

End-over-end.67 

Grip.67 

Illegal.67 

Incomplete.67 

Intercepted.. . 67 

Non-Grip..67 

Protectors.66 

Safety.66 

Screen.66 

Spiral.67 

Triple.66 

Gains.8 

Generalship.44-48 

Head Linesman.53 

Holding.54, 56 

Hole.63 

Hurdling.56, 69 

Interference..24, 56, 57, 70 

Kick-Off.10-16 

Kicking.36-43 

Free.39-42 

Generalship...36 


Kneeing.70 

Lateral Pass.13, 14, 37 

Line-Up.19, 20, 68 

Material.17-18 

Offense..7, 17-29 

Officials. 53-56 

Offside.H, 37, 38, 56 

Onside.11,12, 37, 38 

Opening.62 

Penalties.54-59 

Piling On.71 

Pivoting.63 

Place Kick. 67 

Plays.21, 22, 45, 63-85 

Angle.65 

Cycle.65 

Deception.65 

Fake.65 

Mass.65 

Power.44, 61, 62, 65 

“Shoestring”.14 

“Sleeper”.14 

Whirl.65 

Plunging.69 

Pulling.56 

Punts.36-42, 67 

Blocked.52 

Two-Wave.67 

Pushing.38, 56 

Quadruple Threat Man.69 

Quarterback.47 

Referee.53, 54, 58 

Restrictions 

Defense.30 

Offense.22 

Roughing.. . ..56, 67 

Roughness. 56, 57 

Runners.63, 69 

Safety.49-52 

Safety Man.35 

Scrimmage Line.32, 68 

Shifts.23, 64 

Shock Absorbers.68 

Side Line Coaching.70 

Side-Stepping.63 

Signals.69 

Sneak.62 

Stance.70 

Straight-Arming.63 

Strategy.20, 30, 48 

Punting.40, 41 

Substitute.56 

Tee.68 

Thrills.18 

Time Out.54-56 

Touchback.37, 49-52 

Touchdown.12, 51, 52, 58 

Triple Threat Man.69 

Tripping.71 

Umpire.53, 58, 59 

Wedge.62 

Zones.45, 46, 70, 71 




































































































































































































